verbatim - c.hood | social media

six

a r i a n a

even though i have homeroom spare, and i live with my cousin, i still go into school early. i'm not the most social person to exist, i have a lot of anxiety built up when it comes to speaking to people alone. if luke hasn't already told the entire world yet, i get this stutter when i do speak to people. guess it's why i made my media presence more prominent, it's an easier form of communication for myself.

i get to school early so that because no one's around, i can get things done, such as organize my bags and locker for my classes the rest of the day, and so after i can spend the rest of my time until second period hiding in the library with all of the books i could ever imagine. call me a nerd, i dare you, i'll take it as a compliment. though when i did arrive at school this morning, without luke—to which he was sleeping in— i arrived to my locker to which harper, the girl from the birthday party on friday, waiting in front of mine. or at hers, i think her locker might be next to mine.

"ariana, hey!" she says as i approach and open my locker. "thanks for coming to my party on friday."

"n-no problem." i nodded, organizing my books.

"i saw that you and calum were getting pretty cozy, huh?" she began. "you don't, like, like him, or anything, do you?"

"n-no." i stuttered, though the nervousness in my tone didn't allow myself to sound very convincing. "we're j-just friends..."

"good." she says. "it better stay that way."

"what?"

"you heard me." she says. "listen here, gucciardi. know you're place. calum's not only my best friend, but he's mine, not yours. so stay out of my way, and we won't have a problem."

so she clearly has issues.

"whatever." i rolled my eyes. "are you done?"

"no, actually." she says. "what's better than just staying out of my way, is having you stay away from calum as a whole. so keep your distance, or i'll make your life here a living hell."

see, this is where i can flip a switch. i may have an incredible amount of social anxiety, but if someone threatens me, or my family, then we have a real problem.

"was that a threat?" i question.

"no, it was a promise." she said. "know your place, or you'll have bigger problems to deal with."

"i'll do whatever i damn-well please, thanks." i nod, grabbing my bags, closing my locker, and leaving for the library.